It's ironic that Jin Sangtae learned computer repair working at a
mammoth South Korean tech market, since he eventually applied those
skills to creatively destroying electronics. One of Seoul's most important audio artists,
Jin Sangtae creates glitched noise improvisations by manipulating
exposed computer hard drive parts.

Jin produces his initial signal in Clanger Theremin, a digital theremin
available as freeware designed for use on PDA devices. Controlling
pitch, volume and modular effects with a stylus, Jin leads the signal
through several exposed computer hard drives, each fed to a separate
track on a mixer, a process that methodically undermines his instrument.

Jin's impressive level of control over hardware errors does generally
overshadow the theremin signal. A repeated series of staccatos
resembling vinyl skips can be gradually protracted into a striated
drone and then diminished into a paper-thin hiss. High-pitched sounds
are emphasized; although harsh noise artists Otomo Yoshihide and
Merzbow are certainly influences on Jin, his squealing feedback evokes
scientific, mechanical imagery rather than a nihilistic
anti-aesthetic. Although Park's improvisations are structureless, his
decisions of which ideas to develop at length and which to briefly
interject reward deep listening.

Photo of Jin Sangtae's Exposed Disk Drives

Professionally, Jin Sangtae runs an audiovisual supplies distribution
company, but Jin's office doubles as a small experimental performance
space called Dotolim. Along with a few
other venues in Seoul like Park Chang Soo's Houseconcert
and Lee Han Joo's Yogiga gallery, Jin Sangtae's Dotolim concert has made
him central to Seoul's experimental scene. While Houseconcert
emphazises acoustic free jazz and Yogiga is a freeform sprawl, the
circle of musicians surrounding Dotolim concerts is an erudite group
of tech-savvy electroacoustic noise artists. The Balloon and Needle
label, run by noise musicians Choi
Joonyong and Hong Chulki, has published work from this scene's best
along with many expatriates living in Seoul and Japanese noise
musicians. Balloon and Needle recently published Jin Sangtae's most
representative official release, "Extensity of Hard Disk Drive."

Many of Jin Sangtae's fellow improvisers also use glitched technology
heavily. In some of his work, Choi Joonyong bends CD players and utilizes the laser
mechanism of CD players to manipulate playback. Ryu Hankil, on the
other hand, has developed extended strategies in outdated and
abandoned non-instruments like clock motors, telephones and
typewriters. Generally, the work coming from this scene is strict
electroacoustic improvisation, with crisp textures, no fear of shrill
high notes, and a compositional reliance on the innate qualities of
mechanical objects. Much from Balloon and Needle and other Korean
avant garde releases are available through Afterhours.

Nat Roe is a DJ with WFMU and the editor of WFMU's blog. He has contributed in the past to The Wire, Signal To Noise and the Free Music Archive. Nat also cooperatively manages Silent Barn, a DIY venue in Ridgewood, Queens.